What to Eat Around Anna Salai: A Chennai Food Guide

What does a typical day of eating look like in Chennai?

Chennai eating follows a rhythm. Breakfast is tiffin, a light meal of idli, dosa, vadai, uppuma or appam with sambar and chutney. Lunch is a plated meal. Afternoon brings filter coffee with a snack. Dinner can be tiffin again, a lighter meal or a biryani.

This guide works by category and does not name specific restaurants, because I could not verify current names, timings or hygiene standards. For specific places, ask the hotel desk or check recent reviews and choose busy, clean-looking spots.

A good first meal after a long journey is something simple: idli with sambar, or rice with rasam and curd. It is easy on the stomach and gives you energy without making you sleepy on a train.

Tiffin: idli, dosa and vadai

Wikipedia's article on Tamil cuisine lists idli as steamed rice cakes, dosa as fermented crepes and vadai as savoury doughnuts, with breakfast items such as uppuma, appam and paniyaram served with sambar and chutney. They are light and easy on the stomach, which suits a morning before a long train.

Tiffin places are usually crowded from early morning. If your train is early, look for somewhere open at the right time and ask for freshly made items.

A good tiffin breakfast is cheap and quick, and in Chennai it is part of the daily routine for office workers as much as visitors. If you are in Park Town before a train, a quick tiffin near the station is a sensible way to start the day.

Meals: sambar, rasam and poriyal

A traditional meal is served with rice and a set of side dishes. Wikipedia lists sambar, a lentil stew, rasam, a spiced soup, koottu, a vegetable-lentil dish, poriyal, stir-fried vegetables, and chutneys, with accompaniments like pickle, vadai, payasam and appalam. Vegetarian meals are widely available and often the safest bet for visitors with unfamiliar stomachs.

Ask whether a meal is unlimited and what is included. Prices vary between small and large establishments, and I could not verify current prices.

Filter coffee and snacks

Kaapi, or filter coffee, is the most popular drink in Tamil cuisine, according to Wikipedia. Pair it with bajji, bonda, murukku or a vadai. Incredible India mentions street snacks at Marina Beach such as corn on the cob, sundal and fish fry. Street food is part of the city, but choose stalls that are busy, serve food hot and use clean water.

If you are not used to spicy food, ask for less chilli. If you have a medical condition or allergy, mention it plainly.

A word on water. Drink sealed bottled water or water you know is filtered, and be careful with ice and cut fruit from roadside stalls. Chennai's heat makes you thirsty, so keep a bottle with you. If you get stomach trouble, rest, drink fluids with electrolytes and see a doctor if it persists.

• Choose busy places with high turnover.
• Prefer freshly cooked, hot food.
• Carry sealed bottled water.
• Carry hand sanitiser and tissues.
• Have a plan for medicine and an upset stomach.

Biryani and non-vegetarian food

Wikipedia lists chicken biryani styles including Seeraga samba, Ambur and Thalapakkatti, as well as mutton and vegetarian versions. Chennai has many biryani places, and quality varies. A sensible approach is to try one recommended spot and not experiment with several on a travel day.

If you are catching a train, avoid heavy food right before boarding, especially if the journey is long.

For vegetarians, Tamil cuisine is an easy place to eat well. For those who eat meat, it pays to ask about the preparation and spice level, since some dishes can be very hot. If you are travelling with children, ask for mild versions and avoid anything raw or poorly cooked.

If you want to try something unfamiliar, start small. Order one dish at a time and share. This lets you taste more without wasting food or upsetting your stomach on a travel day.

Eating from the hotel

Hotel Royal Park has 24-hour room service and a front desk. Ask for the room-service menu and timings when you check in. The rooftop garden terrace has lawn seating and parasol tables, and the desk can tell you whether food or drink can be taken there. Rooms start at Rs 1,600 per night, with check-in at 1 PM and check-out at 11 AM; reconfirm rates when you book.

For late arrivals, room service is the easy answer, and it is available around the clock. Ask what is on the menu when you check in, so you know what to order at midnight and do not have to decide while tired and hungry.

If you need a snack for a long train journey, buy it early and keep it simple: fruit, dry snacks and sealed water travel well. Avoid anything that spoils quickly in Chennai's heat, and keep food in a sealed bag away from your documents.

Some travellers like to end the day on the rooftop garden terrace with a cup of coffee. Whether the terrace has food and drink service is not stated, so ask the desk before you plan around it.